This is a bloodworm pattern I like a huge amount. Simple to tie or as complex as you want to make it. In its simplest form, it's little more than a hook and some thread, I always varnish them with at least two coats of a decent finishing compound - not as scary or expensive as it sounds, Nail Laquer is one of the best there is and a few pounds spent on a decent one (Rimmel top coat or Hard as Nails) will last for literally hundreds of flies tied, making one of the cheaper fly tying materials you can buy.

In the following image, is depicted my own variation of a "glass buzzer". This is designed to imitate the beginning of the rise from the mud of the bloodworm pupa. Fished deep and slow it can be a very effective pattern, but is particularly effective as part of a team of flies (see previous page)



Tying for this fly is very simple, but without a little dexterity can still be challenging. The hook is a Partridge Sedge/Caddis in size 10 (note the upturned eye and curved shank) with the barb crimped down.

Tie on the thread close to the eye of the hook and wind in careful touching turns round the bend of the hook. Catch in 3/4's of an inch of holographic tinsel at the bend and wind, again in careful touching turns back to the tie in point. If you're using a down eyed shrimp style hook it can pay to tie a half hitch here to prevent the thread unravelling if it slips over the eye, generally with the sedge hooks it isn't neccesary.

Rib the buzzer by winding the tinsel in open turns, in the opposite direction to the tying thread. Tie off the tinsel and trim away the excess. Don't discard the excess just yet though as it can be used to make the "cheeks" of the buzzer in a moment.

Using the tying thread, make a defined thorax as shown in the picture above, saving enough space to allow one more complete layer of thread before the thorax is finished. Now catch in a short length of the tinsel on each side of the thorax. Fold the tinsel back to the rear of the fly and continue winding to the eye. Just before the eye, fold the cheek tinsel forward and catch in the leading edge in the last two turns of thread and then whip finish.

Apply three coats of a decent finishing laquer, paying particular attention to the thorax. Depending on the thread you use (I prefer Uni thread in a 6/0 thickness for this fly) you'll find the initial coat of laquer lifts some of the dye out of the thread which adds nicely to the translucence of the finished fly. Don't worry if this doesn't happen, its an "extra" not a neccesity

Thats it... a finished fly. I've found tying them individually to be very time consuming and they're much better tied, as they are fished, in teams of three or more.

Close.